Brant, Molly (Tekonwatonti) National Historic Person
Kingston, Ontario
Address :
Kingston, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1994-11-24
Life Date:
1736 to 1796
Other Name(s):
-
Molly Brant (Tekonwatonti)
(Designation Name)
Importance:
A mohawk woman who exercised considerable political influence, built up over a lifetime, among the Six Nations of the Iroquois
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 175 Rideau Street, Kingston, Ontario
A Mohawk woman of great diplomatic skill, Molly Brant exerted an extraordinary influence on the powerful Iroquois confederacy. During the American Revolutionary War, she passed valuable information to British troops and in 1777 was forced by the rebels to flee her homeland in the colony of New York. Living at military posts, she emerged as a persuasive speaker, exhorting the Iroquois to maintain their traditional alliance with the British Crown. After the war this remarkable Loyalist settled near here. Molly Brant's tireless efforts helped preserve Canada from American conquest.